


Monochromatic

by cosmicbubble



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Drabble, F/F, Female My Unit | Byleth, First Meetings, edelgard has it bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 02:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20734625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicbubble/pseuds/cosmicbubble
Summary: Edelgard’s grown accustomed to seeing in black and white. One evening, that all changes.





	Monochromatic

Edelgard’s world is a lonely monochrome. She wakes up every morning wrapped in blankets the same color as the empire’s ancient armor. It does nothing to keep the chill at bay. Still, she pulls herself out of bed and prepares for the day. She takes a peek in the mirror and every day is the same routine. One glimpse at her shocking-white hair and chills run through her very core. How long has it been this way, and she still reacts the same every time? Edelgard lets out a sigh.

Pressure settles on her shoulders as she walks. Her mind rushes with the ideas and consequences of her own life - she blinks and sees shocking red droplets upon the floor. She blinks again and they’re gone.

“Lady Edelgard,” Hubert rumbles, “you’re certain of this decision?” His voice is a constant, an expectation. She appreciates it all the same, giving him a smile.

She nods her head, “I have to do whatever I can.” Hubert doesn’t say anything after that. Her decisions are made of stone, and she knows he will follow her through whatever hell awaits her.

But nothing about the world changes - Ferdinand once comments on the brightness of the sky. “It’s nice to see no clouds on the horizon,” he had said, “I do believe this is the day I finally beat you!”

He doesn’t, of course. But Edelgard disagrees with him. The sky is always gray. She still smiles and says she feels the warmth of the sun and it’s enough for Ferdinand.

And at night, only one color comes rushing back into her memory. She looks down at her hands, trembling and soaked through with the brightest red hue. Screams echo through her head and instinctively, she presses her dirty hands against her ears. It doesn’t block the sound out. A dark gray rat scurries across the floor she sits on. She watches it run past with stiff shoulders.

The ground shakes and this time, the scream she hears is her own. Everything fades to black. It always does.

/////

“Claude, must you have run in this direction?” Edelgard sighs, finally coming to a stop in a grassy field. The sun has long since set, and the chill of the night air stings her lungs as she breathes in. She ignores it.

Claude gives her a smirk and a shrug before he replies, “It’s all instinct. I bet there’s something good over here to help us.”

Edelgard groans as Dimitri mentions, “A village is all that’s in sight. If you’ve brought bandits to their doors, there will be fire consequences.”

“That’s right,” Claude grimaces, “But surely Lady Luck is on our side.”

Edelgard rolls her eyes, but a smile plays at her lips. She doesn’t smile fully - she doesn’t remember the last time she truly felt happy enough to - but it’s enough for now. She plays the game of niceties well enough.

They walk into the village with determined steps, and Dimitri leads the conversation with the villagers. He tells them of their plight, and one of the older villagers proclaims, “We have a few mercenaries staying the night. I’m sure they can help you!”

It’s all part of the plan, Edelgard supposes. School days coming to an end with the swing of an axe, with her the only survivor. An attempt to unify Fodlan under one rule with minimal protest, minimal blood. She hates seeing the shocking red color.

When the mercenaries leave their lodgings to greet them, Edelgard sizes them up. One is rather tall, with broad shoulders and skin decorated with weathered scars. She’s heard tales of this man - a former captain of the knights of Seiros, unflinching in his duty and his skills. She sees why.

Her gaze travels to the other mercenary and suddenly time seems to stop. The monochrome of her life, that’s permeated her senses since her time in the darkness, lifts like a veil.

The first color she sees is a radiant, faded teal. Her hair.

Her eyes are blue, like how Edelgard imagines the sky at the height of the day. She sucks in a breath, the cold air refreshing. She blinks, expecting to see everything revert back to the black, white, and gray she’s grown accustomed to.

It doesn’t. Instead, she watches the girl - the mercenary - in front of her grab hold of her sword. The hilt is a faded yellow. Her clothes are black, but her cheeks are rosy pink from the night air. Edelgard feels her heart hammering against her chest.

Battle moves typically, just as she’s been trained. But she’s distracted; her eyes wander to the shock of blue that always stands just close enough to her. 

Just as Edelgard thinks the battle is over, she hears a battle cry. She looks over to see the silver of an axe, held high in the air and coming down quickly towards her. For just a moment, she imagines it tearing into her flesh, feels blood drip down her skin, watches the world fade out -

Instead, she sees a flash of deep teal cross in front of her face, and blue eyes gaze into her own. 

“No,” she breathes out, the realization crashing into her. But she blinks and suddenly she sees the back of the mercenary's head, and watches as the bandits turn tail and run in the other direction.

Edelgard looks at the girl in front of her and manages to breathe, “You saved me.” It’s an obvious fact and the moment the words leave her lips, she feels heat radiate across her cheeks. If she were speaking to Claude, there would most certainly be a laugh and some comment to the effect of, “Glad your eyes are working.”

Instead, the girl in front of her gives her a smile. It’s soft and genuine, and Edelgard feels like the world has grown just the slightest bit warmer, more colorful. The dark greens of the trees and shrubs that surround them compliment the girl’s hair.

“Thank you,” Edelgard finally finds her voice again, “I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, of the Adrestian empire. I am in your debt.”

The girl shakes her head, and Edelgard finds herself entranced. She has not spoken a word to Edelgard, or to anyone, throughout this entire evening. Edelgard doesn’t mind.

But now, her mouth opens and she says, “Byleth.” It must be her name, and Edelgard finds the world has frozen. In this moment, Byleth’s voice echoes throughout her mind, replaying over and over like a song that’s wormed its way into her head. She finds she doesn’t mind.

The smile Edelgard gives is genuine. Byleth gives her a small smile back and as the sun begins to rise behind her, she sees the faded pink, yellow, and blue of the sky.

But her favorite color is the teal of Byleth’s hair, the blue of Byleth’s eyes. She must be blushing, she knows, and yet she doesn’t mind.

The world has color again.


End file.
